Mosaic Youth Theatre's BackStage Tech Ensemble & Apprenticeship

Twenty years ago, our founder Nick Gross was a teenage drummer who worked up the nerve to ask Travis Barker if he'd take him on as a student. Travis said yes. That mentorship shaped the next two decades of Nick's career. The bands, the tours, everything that followed. Access to the right mentor at the right moment is what turns talent into a career. Most young people never get that shot. We're working to change that. This year, the Gross Labs Foundation partnered with Loyal to the Craft  to bring high school students backstage at Vans Warped Tour. Real festival apprenticeships. Hands-on experience in live event operations. Direct mentorship from the artists, crews, and executives making it happen. One student from last year's program is now majoring in music business. Others are actively pursuing careers in the industry. That's the whole point. Thank you Los Angeles Magazine  for spotlighting the work. Swipe through 👉

Kyler Salazar's path into the audiovisual (AV) industry started in his high school's theatre department. After a semester as the Head Electrician of his theatre troupe, and spending a summer with another production, Kyler took part in a behind-the-scenes field trip to Snob Productions through his high school work-based learning (WBL) program. Snob Productions Inc is an AV and live-event production company in Grand Junction that serves a large portion of the Western Slope. Kyler reached out to Snob afterward and secured a WBL Internship. Through the WBL program, Kyler obtained his OSHA 10 General Industry certification and Event Safety Access Training, both funded by his high school. The WBL program also allows Kyler to earn elective credits with his internship hours. He builds hands-on experience through setting up events such as The Palisade Bluegrass Festival and The John Anglim Celebration of Life, as well as prepping, loading, and quality-checking gear for shows. Kyler is still participating in Grand Junction High School's WBL program and he hopes to receive an offer to continue to work with Snob Productions when his internship ends. Kyler's experience is the Big Three in action: industry credentials and work based learning opening the door to a clear next step after high school. #homegrowntalent #edcolo #workforcedevelopment

Exciting news! Thanks to Left Handed Giant, Bristol Beer Factory and Barley Wood Cider, Bristol Old Vic's free pathway into Technical Skills Training will continue for another year. The programme, which offers apprenticeship-style training for up to 20 young people, provides practical experience in production and technical theatre through weekly sessions led by Bristol Old Vic’s production and technical team alongside specialist theatre freelancers. It is designed for young people who face barriers to entering the cultural sector due to inequity or disadvantage. Thanks to this generous support we can open up routes into backstage and technical theatre careers, helping young people build confidence, develop industry skills and see a future for themselves in the creative industries.  If you know a young person who might benefit, send them to our website: https://lnkd.in/eaHTJ8hy

Technical training is only one part of a career pathway. Lasting opportunity grows when skills are paired with wellbeing support, coaching, and professional networks. White Hall Arts Academy’s Soundworks High Road Training Program provides justice-affected and transition-age foster youth ages 18–28 with workforce training in audio, video, and lighting.  Through customized curriculum, studio-based learning, and job placements, participants build the experience and connections needed for family-sustaining careers in live entertainment. We’re proud to partner with White Hall Arts Academy to examine how CYD supports young adults with the skills, relationships, and opportunities to thrive in creative work. Join us for the Virtual Town Hall TODAY: Creative Youth Development: Building Backstage, Media, and Production Pathways August 19, 2026 | 1:00pm ET / 10:00am PT To register, visit: https://lnkd.in/eRYEXQ8a #CreativeYouthDevelopment #WorkforceDevelopment #LiveEvents #AudioProduction #YouthOpportunity

There’s a big difference between learning a skill and having the opportunity to apply it. Through Comcast NBCUniversal’s partnership with Venice Arts, young creatives are gaining hands-on production experience while working alongside NBCU professionals. By working on real-world projects, apprentices are building confidence, strengthening their resume, and creating pathways to economic mobility. Learn more about how we’re supporting the next generation of storytellers: https://lnkd.in/gvR3cUYN 

Having been in the first iteration of this program, I highly recommend ANYONE trying to gain true experience to apply. If you're trying to get in the door, this is one of those keys.

Goodwill Industries of Tenneva, alongside Ballad Health, Johnson City Schools (TN), and Tennessee Vocational Rehabilitation, welcomes four Johnson City High School students: Danni, Elijah, Haven, and Abram: to the 2026–2027 Project SEARCH cohort. 💙 Project SEARCH provides high school students with special needs the opportunity to complete three 12-week internships at Ballad Health Johnson City Medical Center and Niswonger Children’s Hospital. Interns gain hands-on workforce training across departments including Patient Transport, Child Life, Environmental Services (EVS), Food Services, Engineering, and Central Supply: preparing them for competitive, independent employment within the local community.

Sharing a recent press release from https://wvfolklife.org/ in case any friends in WV would like to apply: West Virginia Folklife, a project of the West Virginia Humanities Council, is now accepting applications for its statewide Folklife Apprenticeship Program. Since 2017, the West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program has supported expert traditional artists working with dedicated apprentices on a yearlong apprenticeship to teach traditional music, dance, craft, foodways, storytelling and more. This popular program follows the time-tested model of one-to-one teaching so that apprentices may carry on techniques, artistry, stories and traditional knowledge of communities from throughout the Mountain State. Applications are due September 18, 2026, for the 2026-27 program. The application, guidelines and instructions for how to apply can be found at wvfolklife.org. Mentors and their proposed apprentices must apply together. Applications will be evaluated by a review panel, and successful applicants will be notified in November 2026. Teaching artists will receive $3,000, and apprentices $800, for participating in the program. Pairs may request an additional $400 to reimburse for expenses related to their apprenticeship. Folklife apprenticeship pairs design their own work plans, and they are expected to participate in a public presentation, recorded interview, virtual meetings as a cohort with other selected pairs and a final public showcase.

The young people of Royal Greenwich are the important voices of our future. 👏👏🏾👏🏻 The seeds we sow with them through #creativepartnerships are what determine how far they can push their #creativity. A few weeks back in General Gordon Square, #Woolwich, we celebrated youth and creativity with #livemusic, #art and #film. Live music curated by Defigo, featuring MOBO award winner Nadia Rose, global singer-songwriter Moelogo, and fresh-on-the-scene MLIZZY. DJ & Hosted by DJ SK Vibemaker from Rinse FM. Our local community got to see the first chapter of Ignite! A creative program built by 26 young people over the past year, kicking off with the launch of their culture manifesto. A guideline to help shape the creative future of our borough. We take great pride in forging these #partnerships. Through our lived experience in the music industry, we're able to create intentional pathways for young creatives. Internships that put them face to face with employers, and work experience that helps them build real networks. Because when you create intentional pathways, you don't have to sit and hope you'll get a job. You can go out and secure one. That's how we raise the social value of our borough, and that's what we're striving for. Ignite! is creatively supported by WE ARE DEFIGO, Into Your Light & Tramshed, with heritage support from @greenwichheritage. Ignite! is funded by the Cultural Impact Award, a MayorofLondon initiative, with additional funding from @aceagrams @heritagefunduk and Royal Borough of Greenwich #community #youth #engagement #music #socialvalue

For me as an artist, suit maker and business man, It’s important to maintain a professional relationship with my apprentices, associates or contract employees. having an intimate affair with an apprentice ruins that apprentices ability to learn a skill and it reduces the authority of a superior over a subordinate…  so when I refuse an apprentices advances at me, I’m doing everybody a favour. for real.